Losing Altitude
by ladymiyah
Summary: For Robin, when things go wrong they go really wrong. Take his parents-they literally fell to their deaths before his eyes. For all the tragedies that have occurred near him, however, he has only grown stronger. Now, he is about to face his toughest challenge yet. He will have his wings clipped, his grave dug and his mantle taken. But through it all he will remember one thing; why.
1. Chapter 1-Nosedive

Okay, this is going to be the only (hopefully :P) Author's note that I am going to write.

I have already written one story where Richard Grayson and Wally West are straight, and, therefore, in this story neither of them are. That is your warning, I will not give another. However, it is not the main focus of this story and if you do not like this it will be easy to skip over any of these moments; they will not affect the plot.

Time skips will occur within this story-you will be told each time their is a time skip and how long it is.

At the start of this story Richard/Robin is 14 and the rest of the team are whatever ages correlate with this.

If you have any questions please feel free to ask.

And most importantly; ENJOY!

* * *

Chapter 1-Nosedive

Wally, for all his hyperactivity, knew when to be silent; right now was one of those times. He had a horrible, nauseating, foreboding feeling twisting in his gut and his instincts were screaming at him to grab his team and run-run as far and as fast as he possibly could.

When Wally usually had these feelings he would let his instincts take over; he was a smart fellow after all and wasn't so ignorant as to think instincts were a myth. He had tested it once and had ended up regretting it for a month-three people had nearly died. As such, he had learnt to always follow his instincts.

This time, however, that was not a possibility. The mission they were currently performing was far too important, and so Wally would just have to be content with being on high alert for anything that could go wrong. And make sure it didn't.

Artemis had her guard up just as high as Wally, so high in fact that she could not see the metaphorical top. Years of training under her cold-hearted father had honed her instincts to such a degree she could react as fast, if not faster than, Robin. Add on top of that her need to protect her family-the one she'd earned, grown to love and who loved her back-and her fight or flight response was buzzing.

Their current mission required the Young Justice team to infiltrate an abandoned Cadmus facility that, according to Batman, 'may or may not hold within it remnants of abandoned experiments performed on living beings'. The mission, on the record, was to collect information, but off the record the team knew that there could be living beings still trapped within the confines of the abandoned facility. The mission was, therefore, in and of itself, a search and rescue mission.

Now, technically, the team was not allowed to perform such highly advanced and dangerous missions; they were only meant to be an information gathering team, hence the 'off record' nature of their mission. The fact of the matter was that the majority of the League believed there were too many children within the team to take on such high risk missions, however, despite Batman being within this majority he also knew when you had to put aside personal feelings and do what was right; in this case sending a team trained specifically in stealth to save innocent lives that most likely could not be saved without the stealth factor. The Justice League was created to save innocent lives after all.

Batman, theoretically, could have chosen to keep the teams younger members off the mission which would have allowed him to keep his own son off the mission as well. But, this was only theoretically, and as wonderful as the theory was, in reality Batman needed his son on the mission because of the specific skills he had-most notably his ability to read 5000 words per minute and his ability to hack anything and everything. This mission would irrefutably require hacking.

Now, the team crept stealthily down a hallway fifty-three levels below the surface. This facility, hidden in the centre of New York, was much like the first Cadmus facility the 'sidekicks' had infiltrated-minus the creepy eggs growing out of the walls. Much like that facility, this facility grew creepier the deeper underground they travelled, and the deeper they travelled the more they found evidence of illegal, foul and horrific experiments. They were currently on the deepest level and as they approached the steel, vault-like door at the end, every member of the team felt a warning apprehension curling in their stomachs.

Adrenaline raced through their blood streams as the doors slid slowly open and each member dropped instinctually into a fighting-ready stance.

M'gann gasped.

"What…the hell…is this?" Artemis breathed out, the words ghosting over her almost unmoving lips.

The room before them was much like the one they had found Conner in, except, instead of a Superman clone sleeping in a tiny little pod, there were people, all with evidence of experimentation, locked into tiny little cages. Each person appeared to have some kind of gene transferred to them: in one cage were three girls each with mouse features and cowering as if they were afraid, and in another cage were seven men each with the genetic features of a rabbit. On one side of the room were tanks filled with water, and men and women sharing the traits of different kinds of fish. Spread around the room were tonnes of locked up people, all sharing the quality of having some kind of animalistic gene within their DNA that was mostly harmless.

Except one.

One cage lay with its door wide open, the lock snapped in half.

The dead bodies of scientists were scattered about, limbs missing and fear forever trapped within their dead eyes.

Blood-weeks old-stained the floor, the walls and even the ceiling and its coppery smell was strong.

Not as strong, however, as the odour of the rotting bodies permeating the room.

And dead centre of all of this, lay one person with the genetic traits of a wolf.

He was dead too.

It was not particularly hard, however, to come to the conclusion that the traits of this animal had made the person too violent for Cadmus to control and they had not realised this until many of their own were dead. As such, the wolf-man had been able to break free and take down a great many 'white coats' before he too was killed.

It was plain for all to see that he had put up a good fight.

"This is…" Kaldur trailed off, unable to explain the horror that soaked his voice.

As if the voice had shocked him from his stupor, Robin suddenly moved. He began to walk towards a section of the room that housed medical beds and the equipment needed for the experimentation that had occurred.

There was also a large computer.

Without acknowledging the others, Robin pulled a retractable cable from the computer in his glove, attached it to the Cadmus computer and began downloading all of their files, his eyes whizzing along the screen at a mile per minute as he read what he was downloading.

The rest of the team stared at him for a few minutes, their faces blank, before Kaldur shook himself and moved to begin his own work.

As if this was their cue the rest of the team moved as well-Artemis and Wally moving to guard and the rest of the team moving to collect data.

Robin had felt disgust swelling within him at the site of the room and bile had risen in his throat involuntarily. The massive amounts of blood painted across the entire room had reminded him all too vividly of the day his parents had died. However, despite being only 14, he was also a son of Batman and could handle a gruesome scene just as well as any long-term homicide detective.

He faced off against Joker multiple times after all.

Robin's eyes scanned over the information almost as quick as Wally could and as he read his eyes widened in a mixture of horror and revulsion. What Cadmus had been doing to people…_My God_ he thought. They were trying to build an army of blood-thirsty _creatures_!

Robin opened a new document, needing to read something else, and jerked very slightly backwards. His brow furrowed and he leant forward as if it would help him take in the information even faster.

Suddenly he froze.

There before him, written in bold ink and signed by the Cadmus head, was a letter pertaining to what the remaining scientists should do with the facility and its failed experiments: _Use it. Use it as a trap to lure in the Justice League and capture one of their members._

"Holy crap," he said before turning his head towards his team and shouting, "It's a trap! Get out! Go!"

"Shit!" Artemis and Wally said in sync and as they turned to move back to their teammates an explosion threw them into a wall, knocking Artemis unconscious and leaving Wally in such a daze he could not tell up from down.

As the explosion rocked the room Robin turned to finish scanning the text and disconnect his cable from the computer. His eyes grew cold at what he saw and if the Cadmus personnel could have seen the fury hidden within those blue depths they would have thought twice about continuing their attack.

As it was they could not see the fury behind the mask and instead moved to finish their well thought-out plan. The smoke and ash from the explosion clouded the senses of the team and so none noticed as one Cadmus member threw some kind of chemical bomb into the room. It released some kind of vapour that immediately affected the neurological system to the point that the receiver of said drug was knocked unconscious. Within minutes all of the team, except Wally who had been away from the chemical bomb and Robin who knew what to expect and had put on a face mask, were sound asleep.

Robin growled at the sight of his friends and moved to attack, his moves swift and graceful as a bird in flight. He threw a birdarang and clipped one agent in the leg and then descended upon them with his unique but effective style of hand-to-hand combat. He managed to break one's jaw with a roundhouse kick and shatter another's knee with another kick before the overwhelming numbers of Cadmus managed to hold him down long enough to administer the same sedative in needle form.

As he felt his wings snap and his body begin to nosedive Robin only had one thought-_I failed but at least now I'll be the one they take._

Wally could not comprehend the sick feeling hovering in his throat. He could not comprehend the wet and warm feeling trickling down his neck from the back of his head. And he could not comprehend as he watched through glazed eyes the fight and fall of Robin. What did register with him, however, was his little bird being carried away.

Fury and anguish rose within him but his body would not move as he tried to scream after them.

"Robin!" It came out as barely a whisper, his mind not properly connecting with his mouth.

He glanced around the room, barely moving his throbbing head, at his fallen teammates and could feel nothing but despair at his inability to do anything.

For all the adrenaline that had been coursing through his and Artemis' systems they still could not react in time to save their little bird.

Cadmus had Robin.


	2. Chapter 2-Crash and Burn

Chapter 2-Crash and Burn

The room resembled the aftermath of a war zone. Debris was scattered everywhere, lights flickered as they fought for life and sparks flew from the mangled medical equipment laying in the corner Robin had once occupied. Smoke left a tangible layer in the air and small fires had begun where electronics had been snapped in half. The man-creatures trembled in their cages, now mostly lock free, and whimpered at every sound made within the room.

Wally hissed in pain as he slowly forced his malfunctioning limbs to move. He wrestled himself into a crawling position, the world spinning around him, and began crawling towards the nearest member of his downed team; Artemis. His eyes blurred as he neared her, warmth trickling down the back of his neck, and his head throbbed at the sound of each short-circuiting electronic.

He kept on struggling towards her anyway.

Artemis was lying face down by the wall, arm twisted at an odd angle as if it had been broken. She whimpered as Wally gently turned her onto her back but remained unconscious, leaving Wally concerned that she had a head injury as well. His eyes scanned over her form looking for any serious or life-threatening injuries and he breathed a sigh of relief when he found none.

"Wally?" a groggy voice suddenly sounded within his mind and he gasped in shock, falling backwards as the sound cut sharply through his pounding head.

"Wally?" the voice said again, a little clearer, "Are you okay? Waves of pain are rolling off of you."

Somewhere in the back of his mind he registered that the person talking-or, more appropriately, thinking-was M'gann and relief washed through him at the knowledge that she was both okay and conscious.

"I'm fine, M'gann," he replied, voice sounding scratched even in his head, "My head just feels like there's a drum beating away in there…are you okay? You sound a little dazed." He could feel as concern washed over her at his words and frowned in worry himself because he knew that if he could feel her emotions then her mental shields must be down.

That never bode well for her condition.

"Fine," she said unconvincingly, "The after effects of that sleep drug are just disorienting me is all-I don't think any of the others are awake though, they're brain waves are too smooth and regular. I think I awoke because I am Martian and my anatomy and immune system are a little differ-" her voice suddenly cut off and Wally felt his anxiety spike briefly before she started talking again, voice a lot clearer and more aware, "Wally, I can't feel Robin…where is Robin?" He could hear the panic beginning to grow in her as she frantically searched for his presence.

"Gone." He replied, voice blank but despair hovering just below the surface.

M'gann froze, all thought coming to a halt, "W…what?" she said, fear colouring her tone.

"Gone," he repeated, voice remaining completely monotone, "Cadmus took him."

M'gann could think of nothing to say in response, her own emotions a turmoil of codes she couldn't decipher. She could feel, despite the careful coldness of his tone, the despair and depression threatening to consume Wally and knew without a shadow of a doubt that the only reason it hadn't was because his team needed him.

Wally was unerringly loyal like that.

M'gann could feel tears swimming behind her eye lids as she closed the, taking a deep breath to compose herself and build back up her mental walls. As she was doing this she took a moment to consider everything that was happening: Cadmus had Robin. The entire team apart from her and Wally-two of the most childlike members-were unconscious, though not seriously harmed. Wally was an emotional wreck-having been 'secretly' in love with Robin and all, and therefore she needed to suck it up and take charge for once. They were in a lab full of experimented on and terrified humans who deserved their help. Said lab was destroyed and they were stuck fifty-three levels below the surface with six unconscious young justice members, and a large number of terrified experiments-there was no way her and an injured Wally could get all of those people out on their own, help was needed. Cadmus had Robin.

Okay, she couldn't think about that right now. Yes, the boy she considered her little brother was missing but right now the rest of her family was in immediate need of attention. She needed to focus on them.

That's what Robin would have wanted anyway, she rationalised.

Shields back up and thoughts in order she made the logical choice and meandered her way through the debris and smoky haze in the room to Kaldur. Reaching down she gently removed his communicator from his belt and stood back up, walking over to where she could sense Wally sat against the wall by Artemis.

Upon reaching him she spoke out loud, mindful of his head, in the same tone an adult would use when speaking to a frightened child-she couldn't afford for him to lose it now, she still needed his help.

"Wally," she said, "I'm going to call the league but there is no signal down here, I need to go outside. You need to stay here and take care of everyone-we are the only ones conscious ad you need to make sure that everyone stays safe. Can you do that?"

"Yes," he replied, voice more slurred than before, as if he too were beginning to lose reality and slip into the heavenly bliss of unconsciousness, "I've got this M'gann. Go get help."

She bit her lip in worry for a moment, concern shining in her eyes before resolve set in and she nodded to him, swiftly shifting into her intangible form and flying straight up through the floor of fifty-three levels until she emerged in fresh air.

Wasting no time she pressed the button on the communicator and began to speak, "Batman do you copy? This is M'gann, do you copy?"

"I copy, M'gann, what's going on?" Batman's deep and ever calm voice replied.

"We need help. It was a trap, the others are all injured and unconscious and Robin…they…" she trailed off, her voice beginning to crack.

"Robin what?" Batman asked and she could almost feel his eyes narrowing behind his mask.

"They took him," she said, voice finally breaking and silent tears beginning to fall, "Cadmus took Robin!"

There was a brief, almost furious moment of silence on Batman's end before, "We're on our way, don't move."

M'gann let her hand with the communicator in fall to her side and bit her lip to prevent the sobs from escaping. However, as she tilted her head to gaze up at the stars, she couldn't prevent the tears from continuing to stream unbidden from her eyes.

* * *

He was in a locked cell.

It was odd looking-made entirely of bulletproof glass-and stood alone in some kind of lab, but it was a locked cell. Of that, he was sure.

He'd woken up because of a bright light, like sunlight, filtering through the glass, and for a moment he'd thought he was safe; back in the medical lab of the Cave. Then a voice had cut through the silence.

"Ahh, I see the little bird has awoken," and reality came crashing back to him with the devastating force of a tsunami.

As if the tidal wave had washed over him, he sprang up, instincts and senses on overdrive to catch up with the situation.

The voice laughed.

"Now, now little birdie, there's no need to work yourself up into a fluster and wear yourself out-you're going to need that energy in a minute anyway. Besides, it' not like you're going to be able to get out anytime soon anyway."

Robin stared at the woman before him, for he could see it was a woman now, and swallowed; all of his instincts were telling him to run as far from this crazed woman as he could. Distantly he noted that there were other people milling about the lab-room too, appearing to be preparing for something.

"Aren't you going to ask me what I'm going to do with you?" she spoke again, her voice sickly sweet and reminding him strangely of Dolores Umbridge. He shivered at the idea of her being anything like Dumbridge and then realised that she was probably worse.

He kept these thoughts to himself and his voice unnervingly steady as he replied, "I already know what you want, I read the file."

"My my, we are the clever little bird aren't we….and yet, you still managed to be caught." She responded, voice creepily light, the last bit almost as an afterthought.

"It doesn't matter, you won't get what you want." Robin replied, unbridled determination ringing in his tone.

"Your wings have been clipped, little birdie-you'll never fly again." The woman retaliated, Robin's determination in the face of unbeatable odds rattling her.

He smirked at her, as if he knew something she didn't, and his next words, a retort, were spoken casually, as if there were no question on the matter, "A phoenix may burn, but it will always rise again."

Unexplainably irritated by his smirk and conviction, she span on her heel and walked away, striding purposefully over to a timid looking scientist and asking a pointed question louder than strictly necessary, "Are you ready? Can we begin the procedure?" Her voice was cruel as it carried purposefully over to Robin in his strange glass cell.

"Y…yes Mam. We're just waiting on your order to administer the sedative." The scientist stuttered in answer.

"Good," she said, turning back to face Robin with a sadistic smirk on her cold face, "Do it."

The scientist nodded and turned around to press a button on the console behind him.

Robin refused to remove his uncovered-and when had they taken his mask?-eyes from the vicious woman's as smoke began to filter into the glass cell. He kept his eyes locked with hers as the smoke began to engulf him and he was forced to breathe it in. His eyes continued to stare unblinkingly into hers as the sedative began to take affect and his vision began to swim. It was only when the pain began that his eyes lost contact with hers.

Pain ripped through his body with the force of a storm and he crashed to the floor, writhing in agony. His body burned all at once and his skin felt tight and tingly, like he was being pricked again and again with sharp, tiny needles. His vision blacked as he clutched his head, a persistent and dizzying pounding beginning within it. His body seized and his breath hitched as the pain only continued to increase. An earth-shattering scream tore itself from his raw throat and pained tears began to leak from his tightly shut eyes. His thought processes began to shut down as his body began to weaken, and, as if from far away he heard a maniacal, wicked cackle as the sensation of flames licking at his body consumed him.


	3. Chapter 3-Phoenix Burning

Chapter 3-Phoenix Burning

Wally was terrified.

They had saved Dick three hours ago. In doing so they had destroyed the entire Cadmus lab with extreme prejudice-and it had felt good.

But that wasn't why he was terrified.

He was terrified because when they had stormed the lab they had found Dick strapped to a medical table, unconscious and unaware. Three Cadmus doctors had been surrounding him, watching him, monitoring his vitals-but none were operating on him. Wally feared that they weren't preparing him, but had in fact finished.

Wally was terrified because now he was back at the cave, sat in the medbay next to the bed holding his little bird, and they didn't know what Cadmus had done to him.

Dick was still unconscious.

As of yet there was nothing to indicate that there was anything wrong with Dick. They had done x-rays and those only turned up the kind of fractures obtained in a fight-like the one he had been in when he was caught. However, with their equipment, they couldn't do a brain scan until he awoke and, it was obvious to Wally that the leagues medical examiners were worried by Dick's continued unconsciousness.

As he slowly pulled himself back into consciousness the first thing Dick became aware of was the hand gripping onto his with unbridled strength and the nervous vibrations of a speeder. His mouth quirked in a small, undetectable smile and his eyelids flickered at the knowledge that Wally was with him.

The second thing he became aware of was the painful aching, throbbing feeling burning in his head. Suddenly, reality came crashing back to him and, as if an electric current had been slammed through his body, his eyes snapped wide open and he flung himself into a sitting position, gasping for air. His chest heaved and adrenaline rushed through his system, the heart monitor attached to him beating out a blaring Rhythm of panic. Less than a moment later he hunched over, eyes squeezed shut and hand ripped forcefully from Wally's grasp to clutch at his head.

A strike of white hot agony lashed through his head and he whimpered.

Wally surged to his feet, body vibrating with worry as the shock left him, Dick whimpered, and league members and doctors raced into the small room.

"Dick," Wally said, voice carefully calm as he put his hand under Dick's chin and forced Dick to look at him. "Dick!" he said again, tone more demanding this time, "Calm down, you are okay, we are here, you are okay. Now tell me what's wrong."

Wally could feel the others hovering behind him but ignored them as he watched Dick begin to come back to himself and blink away the haze of pain.

"Wally," Dick said, his voice unnaturally soft as the last vestiges of the pain receded. He took a deep breath and began again, voice stronger, "I'm okay, it's fine. Just a rather painful headache, is all." He pulled his head away from Wally's grip to hide the fear in his eyes and laughed shallowly at a joke that wasn't funny.

He was painfully aware than no one else even smiled.

"Dick," Leslie said in a no-nonsense tone, breaking the silence and pushing Wally out of the way so that she could shine a light into Dick's eyes, "You said it was just a headache right? Well that could be just a reaction to having been under the influence of anaesthetic for so long, however, as a precaution I'd like to do a brain scan. I know you've only just woken up but do you feel up to having it now?"

She looked into Dick's eyes as she said this and he knew that she could read the fear and panic hiding in them.

He was grateful that she said nothing.

"Sure," he replied, painfully fake trademark grin on his face despite the spike of pain that suddenly shot through his brain.

Leslie noted his almost undetectable wince and chose to ignore it as she nodded and spoke, "Good. Flash, if you could prep the scanner? I'd like a moment alone with Mr. Grayson."

Flash nodded and raced off as the rest of the room cleared out.

"That means you too, Mr. West." Leslie said without even turning around, Wally sighed and plodded out as well.

She continued to look him in the eyes as she spoke, "Drop the act, Dick, you're not fooling me. Now, with all those emotions swirling in your eyes I'd say you have an idea of what they've done to you and you're terrified you're right."

He searched her eyes for a moment before sighing and turning his head away, the smile on his face disappearing quickly. He nodded in reply to her statement.

"Care to share?" she said, voice not softening an inch.

"Not really," Dick replied, voice hard and face closed off, "Let's just hope they didn't get the chance."

Leslie stared at him for a moment before sighing and turning away to lead him to the brain scanning room. She knew that tone in his voice and she hated it.

That was the tone he used when he was planning for the worst case scenario.

* * *

Batman stepped out of the zeta-beam into a back-alley phone booth in Gotham City with a grim look beneath his mask. Dick, his_ son_, had been kidnapped by Cadmus and it had taken them far too long to get him back. Dick was still unconscious when he had left the cave, which worried him greatly, but he hadn't had a choice as he had to speak with Alfred, get some things for Dick and retrieve the Batmobile from a back alley in Gotham. It didn't help that he had a nagging feeling in his gut that something was about to go terribly wrong.

As he stepped out of the phone booth, head in the clouds and scowl on his face, he stopped short at the sight that greeted him.

A young boy, perhaps 12 years old, was attempting to remove a tyre from his car.

A young boy, perhaps 12 years old, was attempting to remove a tyre from the _Batmobile_.

Of all the cheek…it was the freaking _Batmobile_ for lord's sake.

One tyre, the back left hand, was already gone, laying innocently on the floor to his left. They boy obviously had experience.

Batman pointedly coughed and the young boy span around, eyes wide like a deer caught in headlights.

"I, Uhh…" the boy stammered, rather ineloquently.

"And your name is…?" Batman asked calmly, deep voice rumbling in his chest.

The young boy jerked as if he'd been slapped and then stood up to lean against the car, a scowl on his face and an air of false bravado rolling off of him.

Batman quirked an eyebrow, amused.

"Jason. Jason Todd." Said the kid, disrespect echoing in his tone despite the fear lining it. He jerked his chin up as if to appear bigger.

"Okay, Jason. You're going to put that tyre back on my car." Batman said, voice unnervingly level.

Jason swallowed but retorted anyway, "No I'm not. I need it more than you."

"And how do you figure that?" asked Batman with obvious amusement ringing in his voice.

Jason considered the tall, dark clothed man for a minute before something in his gut told him that he could trust this man with the truth. "My father abandoned us after he got out of prison and my mother died last month. I'm a street kid. I need the money I'll get from these to feed myself. But you, to have a car as sweet as this you've gotta be rich, or at least have a hell of a lot a money. You don't need it, I do," his tone was still standoffish as he spoke, eyes unflinchingly trained on the holes in batman's mask.

Batman felt the amusement leave him rapidly as he absorbed the kid's words. Now that he really looked he could see that the kid's face was gaunt and there was barely any meat on his bones beneath the loose shirt he wore. The kid, Jason, was shivering in the cold of Gotham City's lousy weather and his jaw was squared to avoid his teeth chattering. Beneath the cocky look in the kids eyes Batman could see pain at his father's abandonment, his mother's death and the harsh life fate had dealt him.

Batman could tell the kid was trying to appear strong and his heart went out for him.

He was reminded far too vividly of the pain he'd felt when his own parents had died and the broken look Dick had had when his parent's tumbled to their deaths. The difference being of course that he had had Alfred and Dick had had both him and Alfred.

This kid had no one.

A sudden, stupid, spontaneous thought began to grow in his mind and as much as he told himself 'no' Batman could not get the thought to leave.

As Batman stared at the kid, for all the world looking like he needed a good meal and some love, Batman made a split-second decision that both his heart and gut told him was the right thing to do.

Plus, both Alfred and Dick would be so proud of him for doing it.

"You're going to put that tyre back on my car," Batman said to the kid after a few moments of silence, voice strong and broking no argument.

Jason chose to argue anyway, "But-"

"You're going to put that tyre back on my car," Batman interrupted, "And then you're going to get in the car and I'm going to take you home and give you a good meal and somewhere warm to sleep. If you play your cards right, kid, you may even get a new home and family."

Jason opened his mouth to argue and then closed it. Something within him told him to trust this man, that he would make things better, and Jason liked that idea.

Without a word, Jason quietly did as Batman had said.

* * *

Dick was back in his medbay bed and Leslie was stood at the head of said bed staring at his results. They were the only two in the room.

From the grim look set on her face he knew that what he had feared had come to pass.

Cadmus had succeeded in what they had set out to do.

"What do you see?" he asked, voice carefully flat.

Leslie sighed and handed the scan over to him.

A small object, the size of a sim-card at most, was imbedded in his brain. From the scan it was impossible to determine what it was and Dick felt a small sense of relief at that-no one needed to know the truth.

"It can't be removed," Dick said into the silence, glancing up at Leslie as he spoke. His voice implied more of a statement than a question.

She nodded and then replied, "No. I can't remove it without killing you. Moreover, I have no idea what _it_ is and tampering with it could be dangerous. But you already know that." Leslie's eyes narrowed at her last words, scrutinising Dick.

He let nothing slip, face blank.

"Could you wait? To tell the others I mean. I need some time to myself." Dick suddenly asked, voice even but eyes begging her to listen.

She considered him for a moment before nodding and striding out of the room.

The moment the door closed behind her Dick felt his mask crumble. He knew exactly what was in his brain and he knew exactly what it would do.

Fear clutched at his heart and he covered his face with his palms as he took deep breaths to stop himself hyperventilating, to stop the pain and the panic taking over.

That was it then. Cadmus had succeeded and now he had no other choice.

God, life sucked sometimes.

He felt a couple of tears slide down his face and angrily wiped them away, refusing to let himself fall apart. Taking a moment, he composed himself, pushing his turmoil of feelings back behind a door which he locked tightly.

Roughly, he pushed himself up from the bed and strode over to the security camera in the far corner of the room. With quick and precise movements he disabled it, knowing for a fact that it was the only one in the room.

That done he locked the door, pulled the curtains shut and swiped his mobile from the bedside cabinet.

Hesitating only a moment to swallow and gather the courage, he flipped open the phone and dialled a number he had hoped he would never have to call.

"Richard?" a female voice answered on the other side, surprise and worry battling for dominance in her tone. She knew Dick calling meant something bad was happening.

"Cameron," he said, voice low and resigned, "I need a favour…"

* * *

Jason was astounded.

Batman was Bruce freaking Wayne.

Bruce _freaking_ Wayne!

And even better, his butler, Alfred, was _the_ nicest dude alive.

Batman, Bruce, had removed his cowl whilst he drove them back to the manor (a freaking _manor_) and had seemed oblivious to Jason's shock at Batman's unwarranted trust. When they had arrived Alfred hadn't even question his sudden appearance, just glanced at him, tutted, and muttered something about 'skin and bones', before ushering him up the stairs (out of the Batcave) and into the kitchen to eat.

It had been the tastiest meal of his life.

He'd then been ushered up another set of stairs, into a large (like seriously large) bedroom, and told to have a good rest for once. He did just that, deciding that Alfred was a wonderful person as he drifted into the best sleep he'd had in years.

He also decided that Alfred was rather pushy.

Jason was surprisingly okay with that, it meant the man cared and that was kind of nice.

However, his sleep had been interrupted by a nagging foreboding feeling growing in his gut.

Unable to ignore it and fall back to sleep, Jason had crept down the stairs and stopped just outside the kitchen doorway to listen to a conversation between Bruce and Alfred.

"Leslie called, they just got the scans back and it's not good. I need to go back," Bruce had said, concern and distress evident in his voice.

Alfred's voice had been even and calming as he replied, "Yes, you must go. He will need you, Master Bruce. Though, I will suggest that you take our new little family member with you. He appears to be a rather curious little fellow and I don't doubt he will try to follow you if you don't."

"What…" Bruce had replied before he had seemed to realise what Alfred meant and had spun around to see Jason peering round the door, listening to the conversation.

In amusement Bruce smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "You're right. Besides, Dick will want to meet him. Come here, Jason." The last bit was called, voice a little louder than before.

Unashamed of his eavesdropping, Jason walked over, head held high.

Batman chuckled and ruffled Jason's hair when he got close enough.

"They'll be none of that false bravado around here, kid. You're safe. Now, what do you think about meeting the Young Justice team and your new big brother?"

"Big Brother…?" Jason said quietly, "You mean, you were serious about me staying here? You want me to stay?"

"Of course, Master Jason," Alfred replied, amusement twinkling in his eyes, "Master Bruce does not reveal his identity to just any random stray."

Jason had been awestruck and speechless. A warm feeling had swelled in his heart at the man's words and he hadn't even been offended at the 'stray' comment, knowing it was not a dig at him but instead a joke among family.

Family.

That was nice.

"Fine. I'll come." He had said gruffly after a moment of composing himself, not wanting to appear weak to these men.

Bruce had chuckled and ruffled his hair again.

Now, they were stood beside a medical bed in a mountain cave and a teen barely two years older than him was grinning at him like he was the greatest thing in the world.

That warm feeling swelled in his heart again.

"So you're to be my little brother, ey?" asked Dick, warmth in his eyes, "Awesome. And Brucie here's already told you his secret. You're mighty lucky, I had to find that out for myself." He laughed and Batman scowled playfully beneath the mask.

"Though, it does seem I'm out of commission," Dick continued, "I guess I'm going to have to hand my mantle to you."

Jason frowned at an unnameable emotion he could detect behind Dick's playfulness.

"For now," Batman spoke, voice back to the deep growl Jason realised he put on when he was Batman.

"Of course," Dick replied, "For now."

Jason watched as Dick's eyes flickered up to Batman and then back to him and realised he knew the look in those eyes. That was the same look his father had given him the day he went to prison.

The look that said, 'I'm not coming back.'

For a reason he couldn't explain he felt anguish in his heart at that knowledge and had to fight back a choked sound as he replied, "I'll wear it with pride."

Dick smiled a small, honest smile and nodded to Jason at his words. Jason knew that they had understood each other perfectly.

* * *

Dick stared into the mirror in the en suite from the medical room he was staying in. The others had left hours ago, determining that he needed his rest, and he could now faintly hear them chatting in the lounge on the other side of the mountain.

Jason had been a surprise, but a pleasant one, and he figured it was fate's way of saying that it was his time to go and Alfred and Batman would be alright.

And fate wasn't wrong, it was his time to go. He had to, if he wanted to protect the people he loved.

Staring into the mirror, he narrowed his eyes and spoke, voice low, determined and furious, "You chose the wrong guy to do your dirty work. If you thought I would willingly play a pawn in your plan to take down the league, then you obviously doubted my determination. I will not let you win. You don't get what you want."

* * *

The team were sat in the living room playing a board game and chatting to keep themselves from worrying about Dick. Batman, Jason, the Flash, Leslie and Black Canary also sat in the room, unnervingly silent as the team tried to ignore the concern rolling off of them in waves.

Suddenly, an explosion ripped through the mountain, originating from the medbay.

The occupants of the room were thrown against the far wall with cries of pain. Heavy smoke billowed into the room and an alarm blared a strikingly loud and late warning.

As Jason lay against the wall, ears ringing and attempting to blink the daze from his eyes, all he could think was 'Oh, that's why Dick had had that look in his eyes."


	4. Chapter 4-Dead Man's Bluff

Chapter 4-Dead Man's Bluff

_3 Years Later…_

Nightwing's breath came in short, shallow pants as he crouched upon the top of a low-lying building in his town (Bludhaven), scouring the alleys' below for any sign of his enemy.

Hearing the slightest hint of movement behind him, Nightwing tensed, and then ducked at the last second to avoid a bullet through his brain. Almost immediately after he sprang back up and span around, leg flying out to kick his enemy.

She stepped back to avoid the attack and then spoke, "Now, now, Nightwing. You should know by now that it's just not that easy."

"Lady Vic," he replied, voice deep and even, "What a pleasure. May I enquire as to why I'm being blessed with such a pleasure?" A smirk rested comfortably on his lips and amusement danced in his eyes behind his mask.

A melodic laugh sounded from the assassin's throat, "Why, you pissed off Blockbuster again, of course."

"Of Course," he said, smirk not fading and voice not changing.

Lady Vic snorted, a very unladylike action, and then leapt forward to begin their dance again; attack, attack, defend, and counterattack.

Truth be told, of all Blockbuster's (many) enemies, Nightwing was her favourite. Not because he was the most skilled or because even she was never quite good enough to kill him, which, in itself, was an extremely interesting trait. No, she liked Nightwing because he was always good for some light-hearted banter in the middle of a fight-he was fun, for lack of a better word.

That, of course, didn't mean that she would show him mercy.

Nightwing, for what it was worth, felt much the same. The banter reminded him of his days on the Team-days he sorely missed.

Deciding it was getting late and the fight had gone on for long enough, Nightwing dodged to the left, agilely slipped under her outstretched arm, and then forced an elbow straight into the centre of her spine. She grunted and fell forwards. Wasting no time, Nightwing grabbed both her hands, pulled them tightly behind her back, and handcuffed them. He then removed all her weapons and delivered her to the front of the police station-ensuring she was secure and of no threat first, of course.

As Nightwing travelled back to his home base-where his doctors worked, not his apartment- he couldn't help but think back to the day he had 'died' and how much he had changed since then.

It had been exactly three years since he had faked his death and he had changed a lot.

He was no longer the care-free, always cackling little bird he once was-he'd grown up. Now seventeen he was in his last year of school, far more sombre and almost never truly smiled.

He was also Bludhaven's resident hero.

It's only hero actually.

Which was precisely why he'd chosen to set up base there. Because no one would recognise him.

Today was a bittersweet day. Sweet because it reminded him of how long he'd been managing to protect the people he loved, and Bitter because it was a harsh and fresh reminder of how he was unable to return to his true home-with the team and the league and Batman.

Really, it hurt.

A lot.

Nightwing's heart felt heavy as he thought back to the day that he had 'died'.

* * *

_Flashback_

_3 Years Earlier…_

_Dick stared into the mirror in the en suite from the medical room he was staying in. The others had left hours ago, determining that he needed his rest, and he could now faintly hear them chatting in the lounge on the other side of the mountain._

_Jason had been a surprise, but a pleasant one, and he figured it was fate's way of saying that it was his time to go and Alfred and Batman would be alright._

_And fate wasn't wrong, it was his time to go. He had to, if he wanted to protect the people he loved._

_Staring into the mirror, he narrowed his eyes and spoke, voice low, determined and furious, "You chose the wrong guy to do your dirty work. If you thought I would willingly play a pawn in your plan to take down the league, then you obviously doubted my determination. I will not let you win. You don't get what you want."_

_A mixture of anger and determination burning in his gut, Dick turned away from the mirror, eyes hard and will unwavering._

_Quietly, silently, he crept out of the medical room and ghosted through the halls of the Mountain. Stopping at his bedroom he slipped inside and quickly grabbed a bag and filled it with all the essentials he thought he would need; clothes, weapons etc… That done, just as quietly as before, he slid out of the room and glided down the hallways._

_Approaching the living room he stopped-breath catching in his throat as he watched his family interact. His heart ached at the sight, the knowledge of what he was about to do making it almost crack with grief. However, instead of causing him to have second thoughts, the sight only bolstered his surety at what he was about to do. For all the sight broke his heart it also cause his courage to grow._

_Unhesitatingly, he turned his back on the sight and strode silently away. Upon reaching the door he wasted no time, fear or apprehension on quietly opening it and leaving without a single goodbye._

_It was only when he was far enough away that he turned to look at the home that he had just willingly left behind. His heart raced in his chest and he had to swallow to force the pain back down. But his hands, his hands were unshaking as one rose in front of him, holding within it a long-distance trigger._

_Taking a deep breath, Dick steeled himself and pressed the button, then turned and began again began to walk away-leaving his old, treasured life behind._

_In the mountain, a bomb exploded._

* * *

Cameron was a no-nonsense sought of woman. She didn't take crap and she didn't let people she loved take crap. She was the kind of woman who you would trust undeniably with your life but was also more terrifying than half the world's most dangerous and insane villains.

Which was probably why she was such a master in her trade.

Being a doctor that was-a neurosurgeon if you're going to be specific (though, that field specification had only begun when Dick asked her for help).

Cameron had known Dick for years-they'd had a chance meeting when he was out on a patrol with Batman and had been hurt and she had patched him up (being a med-student at the time) and had offered her help if ever he was in need.

As it turned out, he did end up in need-unfortunately it was far more need than she could provide on her own.

Hence the fact that she had chosen the most skilled and trustworthy doctors she knew from around the globe and convinced them to join her. It helped that Dick was paying them all almost double their previous salaries-though, in fairness, three years into the job they had all grown to love the kid so much they probably would have done it for free anyway.

Due to this Dick had the most skilled team of doctors in the world working for him, Cameron at their head, and he was still unable to return home. No matter how skilled they were they just couldn't find a way to extract the chip without killing the kid-and they really weren't willing to kill him.

Cameron did feel terrible about that, however, she stood by the fact that it was no excuse for Dick to turn up on the doorstep of their doctors practice (cover for so many doctors being in one place) bloody and beat at least once a week.

Cameron was a no-nonsense type of woman-and she did not approve.

"Dick," she said, voice level but harsh, motherly, "What have I told you about looking after yourself? Honestly, by the time we find a way to remove that chip from your blasted head you'll have gotten yourself so beat up you'll be too much of a vegetable for it to matter anyway!"

Dick winced at her tone, really hating when he incurred her wrath, "Sorry, Cam, Vicky's a tad tricky."

She gave him a look at the terrible joke and then sighed and shook her head, ushering him up onto a medical table and grabbing some supplies as she did.

Turning back around she began to dab at the bullet wound in his shoulder, taking no notice of his wincing. It was only after five minutes with him not saying anything that she looked up into his face and noticed the solemn look on it. She frowned. Not liking the depressive air that was surrounding him.

"Dick," she said, much softer and kinder this time, "What's wrong?"

His voice was just as soft as he replied, eyes staring at his hands, "It's been exactly three years. Since I 'died', I mean."

Her eyes widened minutely as she realised what he meant, comprehension dawning on her almost immediately after he spoke.

Of course, it was three years ago to the day.

Yes, three years…and yet she remembered it as if it were yesterday.

* * *

_Flashback_

_3 Years Earlier..._

_Cameron was worried._

_Dick never called._

_But he had, and his voice had sounded resigned, and now she was stood outside an abandoned building in Bludhaven of all places because that was where Dick had asked her to wait for him._

_Of course, it wasn't the first time he had come to her for medical help-he trusted her after all-but it was the first time he had called instead of turning up in person on her doorstep._

_That alone cause alarm bells to ring for her._

_Adding to that, he hadn't sounded injured, he'd just sounded sad, tired, pained._

_Cameron was worried…and beginning to get impatient._

"_Cam," a voice suddenly rang out from behind her and she whipped around to see Dick stood there looking casual, a small, dull smirk on his lips._

"_Dick," she breathed, voice relieved, and flung her arms around him. Barely three seconds later she pulled back and cupped his cheeks in her palms as she stared directly into his eyes._

"_What's going on?" she asked, straight to the point and voice serious._

"_I died," he replied, voice barley a whisper and she pulled slightly back, shock written on her face._

"_What…" she asked, voice just as soft if not far more confused._

* * *

Cam saw from the corner of her eyes as Dick started at the sudden stop Cam made outside of his apartment. She had driven him home, insisting that he was far too tired to take himself, and when he had argued she had made it doctor's orders.

Silently, she went with him up to his apartment, watching as he unlocked the door and slipped inside, feet quiet and light with every step-a habit picked up from all his years of being a superhero. He didn't argue as she followed, knowing that it was because she worried for him, cared for him.

Cam remained lost in thought as she stood in the doorway to the kitchen watching him going about his nightly activities. They were both silent, sombre at the memories this particular anniversary bought up, and Cam couldn't help but summarise in her head what had happened after they had met up…it seemed like so long ago now.

Dick, after shocking her with that one, odd sentence, had spent the next two hours explaining to her the events of the days leading up to their unconventional meeting.

By the time he was done she was crying and hugging him again.

After that, with the money he had in his private account (one Bruce had set up for Dick but that he couldn't access or monitor even with Dick's death) they had begun building a new life in Bludhaven. Cameron had begun to specialise in the field of neuroscience and surgery and Dick had become Nightwing.

In reality it was only because of Cameron that he had returned to the superhero life. Because, as she had put it, 'you've let go of everything from your past, if you're going to stay sane you need to keep at least one thing. Bludhaven doesn't have a hero, that's why you chose here, so I suggest you begin with that.'

Thus, Nightwing was born.

Of course, this was after reality had caught up to him and he'd finally had his emotional breakdown.

Cam had been with him, watching him struggle with his new life, for four months when it finally happened.

* * *

_Flashback_

_3 Years Earlier..._

_She stood in the door for a few minutes, leaning against the frame as she watched him, contemplating. A strong feeling of sadness swelled in her chest as she watched, choking her._

_Dick was sat in his apartment living room with the lights turned off. His back was pressed against a wall and his knees were raised, suggesting he had slid down the wall as a feeling of despair had begun to overwhelm him. He was staring out the window, his head turned towards it and silver moonlight shining on his face. The picture would have been beautiful, if not for the fact that the moonlight only highlighted the tears sliding silently down his face._

"_It just hit you, didn't it? Everything you've lost, it just dawned on you," Cam said, her voice barely a whisper of breath in the silent room._

"_Cam," he replied, softly acknowledging her, "You know, I'm supposed to be this brilliant, acrobat superhero who never falls and never breaks. But, I lost my first family in death, I watched them fall and I broke then. I have, had, this wonderful new family now, and I couldn't lose them again. Rationally I know I did what was necessary. I did it to protect them because I love them more than anything and I couldn't lose them again. Rationally, I know that. But, I lost them anyway. They're not dead but I can't go back, I can't be surrounded by their love again. I lost them," he wiped away a few tears, "I bleed when I fall, I can crash and I can break. For all the superhero I am, Cam…I'm only human." He began to sob in earnest and she dropped down beside him, wrapping her arms around him to give him comfort the only way she knew how._

"_I'm going to fix this," she said, determination colouring her soft voice as she held the broken bird, "You have got the best team of doctors in the world on your side and we are going to figure this out. You may not be with your family right now but you are not alone. We will stand by you and we will return you to your family, no matter what it takes. One day you will go home, Dick," suddenly she removed herself from hic completely except for her hands on his shoulders and forced him to look into her eyes, "You hear me, Richard? One day, you will go home."_

_Through his tears he looked deeply into her eyes, searching for something, and then slowly nodded. Cam thought that maybe, just maybe, he had seen something that lit a spark of belief within him._

* * *

As Cam left his apartment, quiet goodbyes exchanged, she thought about the fact that that spark of belief he had had was beginning to fade.

She had no idea how to reignite it.

Cam hoped they would have a breakthrough soon, or, at least, that something would happen to make his hopes flare and his passion burn once more.

* * *

Jason Todd was hurting.

He was hurting because he had finally found his mother-his true birth mother-and she had ended up being a total bitch. She was being blackmailed by the Joker and in an effort to repay her debt had handed him-her own bloody son-over to the Joker.

Now, Robin, Jason, was tied up on the floor of an abandoned warehouse, head pounding and dazed.

His mother had betrayed him.

His head was beating like a jackhammer.

And Joker, Joker was going to come back any minute and he was going to do everything he could to break the little bird.

So yes, Jason Todd was hurting.

He was hurting a lot.

It didn't help that no one knew where he was.


End file.
